


Forlorn Hope

by EdibleNonsense



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Chiaotzu has a not-so-fun time lmao, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Mild Gore, retelling of the fight against Nappa where Tien dies first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23239525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdibleNonsense/pseuds/EdibleNonsense
Summary: In the battle against Nappa, no one knows what to do next. Then Tien steps forward.
Relationships: Chiaotzu & Tenshinhan (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 10





	Forlorn Hope

The sound of the wind was the only thing echoing across the battlefield. 

One minute Yamcha was alive— joking flippantly, flashing a smile mid-battle, almost untouchable and seemingly succeeding in his goal to kill the errant Saibaman that had challenged the group. The next minute, he was lying dead on the ground, clothing burnt and blood dried on his gi. Chiaotzu couldn’t even bring himself to look at him. It hurt too much.

Time had crawled to a stop since then. Still in shock from what they saw unfold before them, no one dared to speak. After another moment’s pause, Chiaotzu saw Piccolo shift a bit in his cross-armed pose.

“At least… the Saibamen are gone,” Piccolo finally hissed, breaking the silence. To his right, Gohan stayed mute and trembled in fear, his early confidence that the ragtag group’s strength would be enough to defeat the two aliens vanishing in the light of what just happened. Chiaotzu had noticed previously that he had been shying away from the fight.

 _Me too, Gohan. I understand,_ Chiaotzu thought with a terror-filled flash of sympathy, even though he didn’t dare say out the words aloud. The last thing he wanted to do was call attention to himself. Remembering with a fresh wave of despair how his psychic powers crumbled like sand in a windstorm against Nappa’s power level made him shiver. Going up against him directly a second time would never be an option. 

Still, the silence stretched on.

The only other motion from the humans’ side of the battlefield came from Krillin’s shoulders shaking, still holding in tears of grief as he stared helplessly at the crater where Yamcha lay without moving. Even being the one to kill the remaining three Saibamen hadn’t washed away the guilt he felt from inadvertently causing Yamcha to put himself in harm’s way.

“Come on, already!” Nappa’s voice finally broke the silence. 

Five heads whipped around towards the annoyed yell. The tallest of the two Saiyans had been impatient ever since the Saibamen had been finished off. His teeth shone white in the daylight as he uttered words that made the group collectively on edge. 

“Who’s next?” 

Chiaotzu felt Tien tense up next to him as the group all looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. 

_“Chiaotzu, don’t move."_

Out of nowhere, Chiaotzu heard the words echoing deep inside his mind. Carefully glancing back and forth at the others standing around him, he double-checked no one else took notice of the sound. Tien was using telepathy, something highly unusual in and of itself. Ever since they had left Crane School, there had been little need to conceal any comments from those around them. 

_“What’s going on?”_ Chiaotzu replied back in a panic. Psychic abilities were one of his few strengths, and it didn’t take much energy to broadcast his thoughts clearly. But he could tell Tien was using much more concentration in order to communicate, as he saw the man’s right eye twitching slightly just seconds before.

_“Just… don’t move. Do not try to attack no matter what happens. Understand?”_

Chiaotzu felt a small pang deep inside his chest. Something wasn’t right.

_“Tien, what’s wrong?”_

Turning his neck just enough to be able to look directly at Tien, Chiaotzu tried desperately to catch his attention. But instead, Tien stood stock still, eyebrows knit together, gaze unwaveringly focused on the two figures off in the distance taunting the group. Chiaotzu knew Tien could feel his eyes on him but he still didn’t turn around or respond.

“Oh c’mon, who’s ready? One of you weaklings has gotta be brave enough to try,” Nappa’s voice boomed as he crossed his arms and leaned forward in a show of bravado. Whispering to Vegeta scowling next to him, he added just loud enough for discerning ears to hear, “If they don’t choose, I may just make the choice for them.”

_“I never…”_

Tien’s voice was softer now, almost inaudible, even in the confines of Chiaotzu’s mind. 

_“I never told you just how devastated I was after I saw you… after King Piccolo—”_

His jawline moved almost imperceptibly as he continued to stare straight ahead.

_“After you tried to wish with the Dragon Balls. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have ever asked that of you.”_

_“What are you_ _—”_ Chiaotzu’s mind was swimming. What was the point of him bringing this up now? The foreboding feeling from earlier grew and grew.

“Alright!” With a loud clap, Nappa stepped forward. Piccolo growled under his breath as Krillin shifted his weight to his back foot in anticipation. 

Tien continued before Chiaotzu could react. _“I’m sorry.”_

And with that, he stepped forward.

“I’ll go.”

“T-Tien?” Krillin was the first to respond to Tien’s decision, his eyes large and filled with fear. Still, he seemed to be more impressed than disapproving. 

“Stay back.” The gruffness in Piccolo’s voice made everyone but Chiaotzu turn to stare at him. “Let him go.”

But all Chiaotzu could feel now was his heart pounding in his chest and blood rushing to his ears. 

_“Tien! Tien! There’s got to be another way. Don’t do this! Tien!”_

His psychic power was bursting at the seams from the influx of emotions. He stood with his fists clenched tightly and his eyes fixed on Tien’s back as he watched him walk closer and closer to the two Saiyans standing across the way. Growing more desperate with each call, Chiaotzu finally realized he wasn’t planning on responding. 

The only sound was the faint whistle of the wind through the trees. Quickly, Tien stood at attention, arms raised and feet positioned in preparation for any blows. With a spine-chilling grin growing on his face, Nappa shot one last look at Vegeta and then bounded towards the center of the field. 

Narrowly missing the taller of the two’s first strike, Tien leaned back just in time to catch Nappa firing off a ki blast towards his chest. Turning on his heel, Tien jumped to the right a short distance and then used his momentum to dodge a second quickly-lobbed ki shot from Nappa. 

The air was thick with tension as they both ducked and weaved, neither one decisively gaining any ground after a quick spar. Scattered ki blasts flew into the soft dirt below them and the rocks in the distance, sending dust to drift down onto the faces of everyone standing below. 

Then, with no prior warning to those watching, Tien raised his hands up with his fingers splayed open on each side of his head. Knowing what was to come from the telltale motion, Chiaotzu managed to squeeze his eyes shut just in time for a blindingly sharp flash of light to overtake the entire area. 

“Ugh! Shit!” A strangled cry coming from the Saiyan rang out. 

_What’s going on?_ Chiaotzu’s mind raced as he rapidly blinked in order to adjust to the light. He was sure that Tien wouldn’t charge into a situation like this without believing he could win. He just wouldn’t. There was no way Chiaotzu wasn’t missing something here. 

Then, in an instant, he knew.

The Tri-beam.

The only attack he knew that drained the actual lifeforce from someone in order to inflict maximum possible damage. Tien was aiming for a scorched earth policy. The words from earlier came rushing back and made Chiaotzu’s spine go cold. 

“Don’t do it!” 

Forgetting to temporarily self-censor his thoughts with telepathy, Chiaotzu’s voice carried over the field into the ears of everyone standing around. 

The words caught the attention of Vegeta, who was still standing with his brow furrowed, rubbing his eyes at the giant flash of light and blinking rapidly. 

“Don’t get cocky, Nappa!” the man called out, keeping his confusion in check under the guise of annoyance. 

Sure enough, as soon as the rest of the two groups could collectively make out what was going on in front of them, it was clear what Tien’s plan was.

_No… please…_

Chiaotzu could feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he stood frozen in fear at the nightmare playing out in front of him. Tien was going to die in front of him and there was nothing he could do. Nothing. 

In the time since the Solar Flare had left a confused Nappa hovering at a standstill, Tien had been preparing the ki for his next attack. Pale yellow energy streamed from his crossed hands as he started to speak.

“Tri—"

Without thinking, almost as if some instinct deep within himself had taken over, Chiaotzu desperately flung out his hands, reaching as far as he could towards the sky. 

“—be-hhk!” 

The light yellow aura surrounding Tien was replaced— just for a split second— with a pale blue one, the same as the color of the ki radiating from Chiaotzu’s palms. 

With eyes widened with blatant fear as he was suddenly frozen in place, Tien looked down to see Chiaotzu staring back up with a face covered in pure shock. Almost as soon as the aura appeared, it faded away, leaving Tien free to move once more. 

But it was a second too late. 

Nappa collided hard with Tien, vigorously shoving him face-first into the small ridge of rocks to the right of the field. Chiaotzu, numbly watching the fight unfold, heard Krillin gasp loudly behind him as Gohan hiccupped while trying to bite back his tears. 

Then, as a terrifyingly wet-sounding snap resounded across the field, the group continued to stare helplessly while Tien went limp in mid-air. 

Still levitating, Nappa casually leaned back from the indent in the rocks with a devilish grin spreading further and further on his face. His free hand, which had been rammed into the man, was clearly the only thing currently keeping Tien’s body in the air. Meanwhile, Tien’s face was turned the opposite way, unable to be seen. 

Below, Chiaotzu went completely numb. _No, no no no, no, please no—_

A low chuckle filled the field. “Here,” Nappa called gleefully from his position above the group. “Take ‘im.” 

Hefting the man’s midsection up in a loose underhanded toss, Nappa dropped Tien to the ground with a chilling thud. No one moved for a moment. The first to break out of the haze was Krillin, who, without any regard for his own safety, ran over to kneel down beside the slumped body, his face slack and ashen. 

“Tien, Tien. H-Holy shit, Tien,” Krillin barely got the words out as he reached out and gingerly turned him to be able to see his face. 

His neck was bent at an unnatural-looking angle but they could all faintly make out the shuddering rise and fall of his chest. He was breathing, but with great effort. 

Chiaotzu felt himself shaking so violently and completely that it took all his concentration to remain on his feet. The only thing in his field of vision was Tien’s eyes: unfocused, dark, pupils wildly searching for something. From the corner of his mouth, a red line of blood leaked steadily down his cheek. The drops stained the newly grown blades of grass under them a dark wine color. 

“His spine,” Piccolo hissed in disbelief, stepping closer as he clenched his fists at his side. 

No one else dared make a sound as the realization of what had just happened sunk in. 

The words Piccolo spoke sounded like they were coming from another place to Chiaotzu. Somewhere underwater, even though there wasn’t any water near them. He slowly became aware of Krillin, still crouched on the ground, keeping a hand on Tien’s shoulder. But almost hesitantly, as if he felt even a comforting touch would only hurt him more. 

“I… h-how…” Krillin questioned with a hitch of his breath. He couldn’t find it within himself to finish the sentence when no one else spoke. 

Then, time seemed to slow down as Tien opened his mouth only a slight bit more, jaw trembling. His chest rose in one shuddering motion, higher than before. 

“Ch…” 

The full word was lost to the wind as soon as the sound left his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, Chiaotzu saw the fingers on Tien’s right hand twitch slightly, shakily curling in and then back out. Almost like he was reaching for something far out of his grasp. 

Shaking his head side to side vigorously enough to make his eyesight blurry, Chiaotzu didn’t move from the patch of ground his feet were planted on. It took everything in him to not fall to his knees.

“I’m sorry, I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Tien, I’m sorry—” His throat was so tight that he couldn’t draw any more breaths, but he still whispered the words over and over again like an incantation. Hot tears fell freely from his eyes, staining his shirt. 

But the man’s eyes never wavered from Chiaotzu, focused solely on him alone. Something in them seemed to be pleading, begging for him to be understood. Chiaotzu watched in horror as once again, he summoned strength deep within himself enough for a raspy intake of air. His lips barely moved as he spoke. 

“Not… your fau—” Violently coughing once, he spasmed back, sending Krillin scrambling away from him on hands and knees. 

With one last motion, he forcefully slumped forward again, head slamming against the ground with a sickening sound. 

“No!” Krillin rushed forward with a cry. Hands shaking, he steadied himself enough to place a finger on the man’s neck, checking his pulse. After holding it there for a few seconds, he leaned back and stared straight ahead with his face wiped of any expression. 

“He’s…” The word faded into silence. 

Gohan’s panicked sobs broke the quietness, quickly obscured as he jammed his hand over his mouth. Piccolo stood with his arms folded across his chest, mouth in a straight line. Only those standing closest to him could see the tremors that ran through his jaw.

Chiaotzu couldn’t move. Or think. 

Everything was happening around him but he couldn’t interact with it, almost like a movie. Staring at his own hands, he dug his nails deep into the flesh of his palm, but he didn't feel it. He barely registered the color red coming from the cuts. 

“You all have any other challengers? Or was he your best?” Nappa’s voice echoed somewhere in front of him again. 

Numb, numb, numb. He felt nothing. The words meant nothing. 

“S-Shit.” Krillin had stood back up and meandered back to the group, eyebrows knit together. 

Piccolo didn’t say a word. 

“Really?” Nappa roared, resting his hands at his side. Giving Vegeta a sideways glance that clearly showed his patience was running out, he turned back to the ever-shrinking group.

“Looks like it’s my turn now,” came his reply to his own words. 

Then, he advanced once again. 

Gohan was the first to react, taking several steps back as Piccolo shuffled to cover him, equally perturbed. Krillin, jumping back quickly to Piccolo’s right, whipped his head around to see Chiaotzu standing where he had been previously.

Chiaotzu kept his eyes on Tien. 

With lumbering footsteps, Nappa steadily gained ground towards the huddled group, leisurely grinning as he did so. 

“Ch-Chiaotzu!” Krillin tried to alert him with a hiss. He heard. But nothing in him made him want to move.

Tien’s eyes were closed, cheek resting against the soft grass. But he didn’t look how he did when he was writhing in pain while talking, he just looked like how he did when he was asleep after a long day of training. Chiaotzu knew to let him rest. 

With a slight gust of wind ruffling his clothes, he was also aware, dimly, of a presence now in front of him. In the back of his mind, he noted the fighter was facing him, blocking the sunlight streaming from overhead. 

“Guess you chose for me.”

Words. He heard words from the man, but they didn’t matter. 

Then warmth. 

Something on the top of his head? It was almost like a hand was resting on it, just big enough to cup his hat. He knew that hand. He was safe. Letting his shoulders finally relax, he slowly closed his eyes.

But then it got hotter. Burning, in fact. Unbearably, blisteringly, red hot. 

Before long, he couldn’t feel anything at all.

* * *

“So… who’s next?” Nappa asked once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Finally I'm getting WIPs done. FINALLY. I've had this idea forever, and I swear next time I'll write something happier for these two.


End file.
